Why Music Matters
The Power of Music:
Music transforms students’ lives in a positive way contributing to better educational outcomes, improved social development, creativity, and increased joy and overall well-being.
Photo credit: Music Will (formerly Little Kids Rock)
Access to musical instruments and instruction isn’t a luxury – it’s a vital part of the well-rounded, vibrant education every child deserves.
Music fosters self-expression and self‑discovery in young people, creates community and drives positive social change.
"Music helps students get through different difficult areas. That helps their problem solving. It helps their community engagement. It helps their social skills.”
- Christy Go, Clyde Miller P-8 music teacher
Music Education:
- Enhances fine motor skills
- Prepares the brain for achievement
- Fosters superior working memory
- Cultivates better thinking skills
- Improves recall and retention of verbal information
- Advances math achievement
- Boosts reading and English Language Arts (ELA) skills
- Improves average SAT scores
- Sharpens student attentiveness
- Strengthens perseverance
- Equips students to be creative
- Supports better study habits and self-esteem
Credit: Arts Education Partnership, Music Matters: How Music Education Helps Students Learn, Achieve and Succeed, Washington, D.C., September 2011.
About Arts Education Partnership (AEP): AEP is a national network of organizations dedicated to advancing the arts in education through research, policy and practice. A center within Denver-based Education Commission of the States, AEP is established through a cooperative agreement between the National Endowment for the Arts and the U.S. Department of Education. AEP’s vison is that every student in America succeeds in school, work and life as a result of a high-quality education in and through the arts. www.aep-arts.org